


Bored

by ShadowWolf_762x54mm



Series: Writing Practice [4]
Category: Parahumans Series - Wildbow
Genre: Boredom, Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 18:20:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,708
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28586367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShadowWolf_762x54mm/pseuds/ShadowWolf_762x54mm
Summary: When you have the power to create amazing technological marvels, it’s boring to have to sit in math class.
Series: Writing Practice [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2087595
Kudos: 1





	Bored

“Now turn to page 23 in your textbook...”  
Jason stared at the clock. It had yet to move faster. Each second was unbearably long. The teacher droned on and on, their words blending into a meaningless droll as he was quickly distracted. Schematics started appearing in his mind, designs for mechs, weapon systems, if he were to build the legs out of a titanium carbide alloy, using a nanofusion reactior to supply the synthetic muscle cables with enough force he could create a more-  
“JASON!” The shout interrupted his train of thought as he jolted in surprise. Everyone in the class was looking at him expectedly. The teacher glared, “Since you have time to day dream, what is x?”  
Quickly scanning the equation on the board he ran the numbers in his head, “Uhh...the answer is -12.”  
The teacher shook her head exasperatedly, “No no no, see if you....”  
And just like that, his attention was lost. Back into the world of designs and schematics, the young tinker was distracted by the possibilities. Luckily he managed to avoid being called on for the rest of the day.  
As the bell finally rang, Jason packed up his school bag and was heading out the door when the teacher stopped him at the door. Waiting until everyone else was let out of the room, she walked back to her desk, and gave him a long look, before sighing, “Jason, is everything alright?”  
“Yeaah? I think it is. Why do you ask?” Momentarily caught off guard by the shift in personality, he wasn’t quite sure what was happening.  
“Jason, you are by far smarter than any student I have met, you wouldn’t be in this class if you weren’t. But lately, your grades have dropped, you haven’t been paying attention in class, and I’m worried for  
  
you. You’re such a bright pupil, if there is anything I can do to help, you let me know alright?”  
Jason remained quiet for a minute as he processed her concern, this was new. He was used to being yelled at, but concern? That was different. He gave her a smile as he nodded, “Sure thing Ms Hecklbert. I’ll let you know if there is, I appreciate the concern.”  
Walking out of the classroom, he headed towards his lunch spot, his fellow Ward, merely sliding into step with him as he walked, head buried in her phone. “So what was it this time?”  
“She was concerned about how I was doing.”  
“She what-?” Sasha did a double take, now paying attention. “That old hag actually was concerned? She’s like the wicked witch of the west, but worse.”  
Jason chuckled, taking a seat under a shaded tree, “I know right? She of all people was concerned with how I was doing.”  
“Weird.”  
“Yep.”  
The pair sat in silence as they ate their lunches. “School’s boring,” Jason stated.  
Sasha shrugged, “For us, or more specifically, for you.”  
He raised an eyebrow questioningly. Sasha elaborated, “You see, you are a Tinker, you have all of these brilliant schematics and futuristic tech pieces in your brain. The calculations flow out of you like water, and what you see you can build. When you have something like that, having  
  
someone ask you to do, what in your mind is simple math, is incredibly boring. In addition, since we’re Wards, and we have to deal with criminals, well....school politics are boring when you’re used to fighting thugs with guns.”  
Jason chuckled, “Amen to that. I see your point, it’s just frustrating, I have all these designs, and plans, and the need to build. Sitting there in class is the worst torture imagineable.”  
As the bell rang for classes to start again, she patted him on his back, “C’mon we gotta get to class, I’ll help you in your shop if you can keep it together for the day.”  
He raised an eyebrow, “What are you gonna do in my shop?”  
She shrugged, “Moral support?”  
Jason shook his head, but could not prevent the smile from spreading across his face, “Alright, I’ll take it. See you after school.”  
“See ya.”  
Once more unto the breach....or into the classrooms I guess, Jason  
thought as he recalled which class was next: Economics. Shit. 

* * *

  
Shouldering his bag, Jason was immeasurably thankful as he left his final class. No more disruptions for the day, all he had to do was meet up with Sasha, and head to his shop. Just him, his tools, and his projects. What could possibly-nope. Not tempting it.  
One too many times something had gone wrong with that saying, the only time it was safe to say that was if it was a serious inquiry. There was  
  
no use in tempting fate after all. Sending a text to Sasha, he headed to his workshop. It was stationed near the small PRT center located near the small town. It was in an old warehouse that had once been an auto repair shop. Walking inside the worn interior, he waited for her arrive.  
About 15 minutes later, she walked in. Turning, he deactivated the alarm system, the biometric scans, and all of his warning systems. Afterall, there was no such thing as too many precautions when it came to Tinkertech. Walking through the first set of doors, he ushered her in, before locking them behind. Going through the second set of security, he opened the doors and walked into a stark contrast from the exterior. Clean white panels covered the walls, electric lights, and dozens of computer monitors, tools, and mech frames in various states of construction and maintenance.  
Sasha whistled appreciatively, knowing her friend she knew what mechs he had brought to fights, but seeing where he built his creations, it was surprising. For all his distractedness, it was clear where he felt he was most at home. Dropping his bag at the door, he pointed towards where he set a small couch and fridge. Heading over to his main terminal, he brought up all sorts of data readouts and debugging logs. Muttering to himself, he started pulling up random tools and sliding them into a toolbelt he grabbed from the wall before walking to one of the guns for the mech.  
“Soooo, what are you doing?”  
Jason jumped as he had entirely forgotten his friend was in the shop with him. He pointed to what appeared to be a camera system. “I’m reworking the targeting matrices, this foam projector has been...well a bit stubborn with me. Normally, I just use a laser scanning system that syncs up to the main system, but when the foam is spraying, it just doesn’t work for some reason. Sorry, I know this isn’t your area of expertise-”  
“What about if you made a grenade launcher?” She interrupted him mid sentence.  
  
“A grenade launcher?” He asked curiously, he’d never thought of that.  
“Well, maybe the targeting optics just won’t work the way you want them too, for one reason or another. But with a canister wouldn’t it be easier to program something for that? Plus you could do some Tinker voodoo to it or whatever,” Sasha answered. Jason stopped to think about the potential capabilities for it, it would be easier to calculate and make accurate a grenade based system, plus he could make it airburst, detonating if the target is within range, and he could change munitions to different types depending on the target.  
An excited smile spread across his face at the possibilities, “Yeah! That could work! Now if you can drag that plate over here, we have some cutting to do. Oh! And grab the torch, nonono the red one...yes that one! Now if you hold this right here, I’ll....”

* * *

  
Four hours later...  
Sasha wiped the sweat from her brow as she stepped back to admire the work they had created. Granted, Jason had built most of it, she was mostly the manual labor behind it. But still. It was finished. And good God was it a thing of beauty. The mech sized grenade launcher had a detachable box magazine to be able to interchange rounds rapidly, and the capability to load two of those mags for either double capacity, or swapping munitions mid fight. The launcher system was capable of determining the range, elevation, and was capable of determining how hard to launch the shell. It had so many features, it astonished her that it was capable of working. Despite having worked with a Tinker for years, it was quite another to see the methods behind their creations.  
“What should we name it?” The question shook her out of her thoughts.  
  
“What?” Sasha was taken aback by the question.  
He turned to look at her, pointing at the grenade launcher in question, “Well, we need to name it for two reasons, one because a committee will need a name, and because when you make something, you gotta name it. It’s just plain disrespectful to not name something, especially if you’re trusting your life with it.”  
She stared blankly at Jason, “It’s disrespectful? To who?”  
He stopped in his tracks to stare at her like she had grown a second head and was speaking in tongues, “What? What did I say?”  
Jason tutted and shook his head, “One must respect the tools of our trade. I name all of my creations, as one must respect the souls of the machines. It’s important to pay the proper respects, otherwise, well, who knows what could go wrong.”  
Bewildered by the absurdity of the claim, Sasha offered the first name that came to mind, “Betsy?”  
Jason scoffed, “Already named one that, she was the first weapon I built for my mechs. Ah good ‘ole Betsy, don’t take her out much anymore, but I don’t have the will in me to take her apart. She’s been pretty much relegated to a display piece, a remnant of my first adventures, but alas, I have better tools now.”  
“Alright, well how about um...the Hydra?” She offered, slowly realizing this was going to take a while, and was going to give her a headache while she helped him brainstorm it.  
“Nope, named a missile system that already.”  
Dear God, this is gonna take a while....

**Author's Note:**

> To anyone who reads this, comments and tips for improving my writing would be greatly appreciated, have a lovely day!


End file.
